Researchers have discovered structural differences in the white matter of the brains of COVID-19 patients who have long-term symptoms, using technology . This study compares 16 men who had severe symptoms with healthy individuals, revealing that these differences may explain neurological problems after COVID.
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Diffusion MRI, more sensitive than conventional MRI, allows for a detailed understanding of microstructural changes in the brain. This research suggests the need for further investigation of the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the brain, which will likely lead to more effective treatments for neurological problems after COVID-19.
Researchers at Linköping in Sweden examined brain tissue from 16 patients who had previously been hospitalized for COVID-19 and had persistent symptoms. Disparities in brain structure were found between patients with persistent symptoms after COVID-19 and healthy people.
Their findings, published in the journalBrain Communications, may offer insight into the underlying mechanisms of persistent neurological problems after COVID-19.
Many previous studies on residual problems after COVID-19 have involved MRI brain scans. While researchers have found differences compared to healthy brains, these differences are not specific to COVID-19.
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In their current study, the researchers added a new type of MRI imaging called advanced diffusion MRI. They were particularly interested in the brain's white matter, which is made up mostly of neuron axons and is crucial for transmitting signals between different parts of the brain and the rest of the body.
Doctors and researchers can get a glimpse of how the brain is made at a microscopic level through diffusion MRI. This technology relies on the fact that there is water everywhere in the brain that moves through the tissue according to the law of least resistance.
Water molecules move more easily along nerve pathways. By measuring the movement of water molecules through nerve pathways, researchers can indirectly assess the structure of nerve pathways, just as we can indirectly understand that there is a highway where there are many cars moving.
Sixteen men who had been hospitalized with severe COVID-19 and who are participating in the Linköping COVID-19 Study (LinCos) at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in Linköping were examined.
They still had persistent symptoms after seven months. This group was compared to a group of healthy individuals without post-COVID symptoms who had not been hospitalized for COVID. The participants' brains were examined using both conventional MRI and advanced diffusion MRI.
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An upcoming study will investigate whether the changes detected with MRI are in any way linked to brain activity and how different parts of the brain communicate with each other through the brain's white matter in patients suffering from post-COVID fatigue.
Source: neurosciencenews
